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MBS050 A MESSIANIC BIBLE STUDY FROM ARIEL MINISTRIES

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THE TRINITY

By Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum

THE TRINITYBy Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................4

A. Arianism ............................................................................................................4

B. Sabellianism ............................................................................................................4

C. Socinianism ............................................................................................................5

D. Unitarianism ............................................................................................................5

E. Tritheism ............................................................................................................5

I. THE PLURALITY OF THE GODHEAD ..........................................................................5

A. The Plurality of the Godhead in the Old Testament ......................................................5

1. The Plural Noun Elohim ............................................................................................6

2. The Plural Verbs Used with Elohim ..........................................................................6

3. The Noun Elohim Applied to Two Persons ..............................................................7

4. The Name YHVH Applied to Two Persons ..............................................................7

5. The Plural Noun Adonai ............................................................................................8

6. The Plural Pronouns ..................................................................................................8

7. The Plural Adjectives ..................................................................................................8

8. The Angel of Jehovah ................................................................................................9

a. Examples of Uniqueness ......................................................................................9

b. Scriptural Evidence of Uniqueness ....................................................................10

9. The Son of God........................................................................................................10

a. Psalm 2 ..........................................................................................................11

b. Proverbs 30:4 ......................................................................................................11

10. The God-Man Concept ..........................................................................................11

a. Genesis 4:1 ..........................................................................................................12

b. Isaiah 9:6-7..........................................................................................................12

c. Jeremiah 23:5-6 ..................................................................................................13

d. Zechariah 13:7 ....................................................................................................13

11. The Holy Spirit ........................................................................................................13

B. The Plurality of the Godhead in the New Testament....................................................13

II. THE UNITY OF THE GODHEAD..................................................................................14

A. The Unity of the Godhead in the Old Testament ........................................................14

1. The Same Image and Likeness ................................................................................14

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2. The Use of Singular Verbs with Plural Nouns ........................................................14

3. The Use of Singular and Plural Forms Together ....................................................14

4. The Use of the Compound One ..............................................................................15

a. Echad ..........................................................................................................15

b. Yachid ..........................................................................................................16

5. Jehovah Declared to Be One ....................................................................................16

B. The Unity of the Godhead in the New Testament ........................................................16

III. THE TRINITY OF THE GODHEAD..............................................................................16

A. The Trinity of the Godhead in the Old Testament ......................................................16

1. Isaiah 42:1 ..........................................................................................................16

2. Isaiah 61:1 ..........................................................................................................17

3. Isaiah 63:7-14 ..........................................................................................................17

4. Isaiah 48:12-16 ..........................................................................................................17

B. The Trinity of the Godhead in the New Testament ......................................................18

1. Only Three Persons Are Ever Called God ..............................................................18

a. Matthew 3:16-17 ................................................................................................18

b. Matthew 28:19 ....................................................................................................18

c. John 14:16-17......................................................................................................19

d. I Corinthians 12:4-6............................................................................................19

e. II Corinthians 13:14............................................................................................19

f. I Peter 1:2 ..........................................................................................................19

2. Only Three Persons Have the Attributes of God ....................................................20

a. Eternality ..........................................................................................................20

b. Omnipotence ......................................................................................................21

c. Omniscience........................................................................................................21

d. Omnipresence ....................................................................................................21

3. Only Three Persons Know the Works of God ........................................................21

a. The Work of the Creation of the Universe........................................................21

b. The Work of the Creation of Man ....................................................................21

c. The Work of Inspiration ....................................................................................22

CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................................22

© 1985, 2005 Ariel Ministries. All rights reserved. No part of this manuscript may be reproduced in any form, except in briefquotation in a review or professional work, without written permission from the publishers.

Cover illustration by Olivier Melnick.Email: [email protected] • www.ariel.org

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INTRODUCTION

This is a study of the Trinity, or the Triunity of God. Perhapsthe best and simplest definition of the Trinity is that there isonly one God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three

eternal and co-equal Persons; the same in substance or essence, butdistinct in subsistence or existence. This has been a major area of conflictconcerning the Scriptures. Throughout the history of Israel and thehistory of the Church, there has been tremendous opposition to thisconcept of the Triunity of God. “How could God be one, and howcould God be three?” This seems to be a contradiction. In church historythere have been five major errors concerning the doctrine of the Trinity.Some of these are ancient errors, but they all have modern counterparts.

A. ArianismOne of the first early Church heresies is called “Arianism.” Arianismstems from a church leader named Arias who taught that God theFather, God the Son, and God the Spirit were not the same in essence,but different. Arianism says that only God the Father is eternal. TheSon was created by God the Father before anything else; theneverything else was created through the Son, who Himself was acreated being. We do not talk about Arians any more, but they are stillaround in various cults, such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormonism,which also deny the eternal pre-existence of the Son by teaching thatthe Son was created by God the Father.

B. SabellianismA second error is known as “Sabellianism,” also known as“Modalism” or “Modalistic Monarchianism.” Sabellianism teachesthat there is only one personality, and not three, but this onepersonality would reveal Himself in three different ways. SometimesHe would reveal Himself as the Father, whenever He was presented asthe Creator and Lawgiver. If the issue was redemption, He would

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NOTESBehold, my servant,whom I uphold; mychosen, in whom mysoul delights: I haveput my Spirit uponhim; he will bring

forth justice to the Gentiles.Isaiah 42:1

reveal Himself as the Son. Sometimes this one Person would revealHimself as the Holy Spirit if the issue was regeneration andsanctification. So as Creator and Lawgiver, He would reveal Himselfas the Father; as the Redeemer, He would appear as the Son; as aRegenerator and Sanctifier, He would appear as the Holy Spirit.Today, this error is taught by segments in the Christian world that arecalled “Jesus Only.” They say only Jesus is God, and that Jesus is theFather, Jesus is the Son, and Jesus is the Holy Spirit. The modernteachings of Jesus Only deny the Trinity, and is a revival of ancientSabellianism.

C. SocinianismA third heresy that plagued the Church is known as “Socinianism,”also called “Dynamic Monarchianism.” Socinianism, whichdevaluated the Trinity, did not see all three Persons as co equals;rather, it saw each Person of the Trinity as less than the previousPerson. They taught that only the Father is God. The Son is not God;the Holy Spirit is not God; only the Father is truly God. The Son isman; the Holy Spirit is not a personality, but only a divine influence.This, too, is a common teaching among certain cultic groups.

D. UnitarianismThe fourth heresy is “Unitarianism” which, very simply, denies theTrinity. It denies that the Godhead consists of three co-equal Persons. Itis a denial of the tri-personality and is very similar to Judaism in thisregard.

E. TritheismThe fifth heresy is called “Tritheism.” This is like Polytheism, but itlimits the number of gods to three. This is a denial of the unity of theGodhead, and sees three gods rather than three personalities of theone God. While Unitarianism denies three personalities and onlyaffirms one God, Tritheism denies the unity of the three Persons andsees them as three separate gods.

Of course, none of these five views adequately deals with theScriptures that clearly teach the concept of a Triunity. The truebiblical teaching about the Godhead must encompass three specificareas: first, “The Plurality of the Godhead,” secondly, “The Unity ofthe Godhead,” and thirdly, “The Trinity of the Godhead.”

I. THE PLURALITY OF THE GODHEAD

The first area of discussion is the plurality of the Godhead. We willstudy this in two specific categories.

A. The Plurality of the Godhead in the Old TestamentIn the first category, the Old Testament clearly teaches the concept ofplurality in the Godhead on more than one occasion.

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1. The Plural Noun ElohimThe Hebrew word for God that is most often used is the term Elohim,which means “God,” and is used of both the true God and the manyfalse gods. Genesis 1:1 states: In the beginning God, Elohim, created theheavens and the earth. Here the word is used of the true God. It is alsoused of the false gods in places like Exodus 20:3 and Deuteronomy13:2. For example, among the Ten Commandments there is one thatsays: “You shall have no other gods, Elohim, before me.” Here, thesame word is used of the pagan, foreign, idolatrous gods as is used ofthe true God. The point is that the Hebrew word for God, Elohim, isa plural noun and has the Hebrew masculine plural ending. Wheneverit is used of the true God, it is always translated in the singular, butwhen it is used of false gods, it is always translated in the plural. Thefact that the Hebrew word is plural when speaking of the only onetrue God opens the door to the concept of plurality. Of course, it isnot a proof of plurality because, in Hebrew, there is the usage knownas “the plural of majesty.” However, it certainly opens the door to thediscussion of the whole area of the plurality concept in the personalityof the Godhead.

2. The Plural Verbs Used with ElohimA second evidence for plurality of the Godhead in the Old Testamentis where plural verbs are used with Elohim. Normally, when Elohim isused of the one true God, the verb used with it is singular. This goescontrary to normal Hebrew grammar because, in Hebrew grammar,the verb must agree with the noun both in gender and number.Normally, one would expect that with the plural noun Elohim, a pluralverb form would be used. This is true when the word is used of falsegods. Most of the time, whenever the word Elohim is used of the trueGod, the verb used with it is in the singular form to indicate that thereis only one true God. But there are exceptions, and these again openthe door for a discussion on the plurality in the Godhead. Forexample, Genesis 20:13a reads: and it came to pass, when God caused me towander.The Hebrew word that is translated caused me to wander is plural.Literally, it reads, “And it came to pass, when they in reference to Godcaused me to wander.”

Another example is Genesis 35:7: And he built there an altar, and called theplace El-beth-el; because there God was revealed unto him.Here again, revealed unto him in Hebrew is a plural form, whichliterally reads, “for there God revealed themselves.”

A third example is II Samuel 7:23: God went to redeem.Again, the Hebrew word for went is plural, and literally reads, “ForGod they went to redeem.”

The fourth example is Psalm 58:11b (Hebrew Text 58:12): there is a Godthat judges in the earth.

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Again, the term that judges is a plural verb in Hebrew, and it literallyreads, “there is a God they judge.”

3. The Noun Elohim Applied to Two PersonsThe third line of evidence for plurality of the Godhead in the OldTestament is that the word Elohim, or God, is often applied to twodifferent personalities within the same passage. There are twoexamples. In Psalm 45:6-7, the writer states: Your throne, O God, is for everand ever: A sceptre of equity is the sceptre of your kingdom. You have lovedrighteousness, and hated wickedness: Therefore God, your God, has anointed youWith the oil of gladness above your fellows.Notice that the word God is actually applied to two different Personswithin these two verses. He is addressing God, and, after addressingGod, he says that another God had anointed the first God With theoil of gladness above your fellows. It should be noted that in this versethe first Elohim is being addressed. The second Elohim is the God ofthe first Elohim. It is God's God who has anointed Him with the oil ofgladness.

A second example is in Hosea 1:7: But I will have mercy upon the house ofJudah, and will save them by Jehovah their God, and will not save them by bow,nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.In this passage, the speaker is Elohim or God, who says He will havemercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by theinstrumentality of Jehovah their God Elohim. In other words, Elohimor God number one will save Israel by means of Elohim or Godnumber two.

4. The Name YHVH Applied to Two PersonsThe fourth line of evidence for the plurality of the Godhead in theOld Testament is the fact that the personal name of God, which iscomprised of the four Hebrew letters corresponding to our Englishletters YHVH and sometimes translated “Jehovah,” is applied to twodifferent Persons in one passage. The first example is in Genesis 19:24:Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire fromJehovah out of heaven.In this verse, Jehovah number one rained fire and brimstone from asecond Jehovah out of heaven. The first Jehovah is on earth; He is theOne who had been speaking previously to Abraham. Jehovah hadappeared to him at the oaks of Mamre, and had warned him aboutthe coming destruction of Sodom. That Jehovah who was on theearth, Jehovah number one, was now raining fire and brimstone fromJehovah number two, who was in Heaven. The term Jehovah, God'spersonal name, is used here of two different Persons.

A second example is Zechariah 2:8-9: For thus says Jehovah of hosts: Afterglory has he sent me unto the nations which plundered you; for he that touches youtouches the apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake my hand over them, and theyshall be a spoil to those that served them; and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts

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has sent me.This verse says that Jehovah number one is the speaker: For thus saysJehovah of hosts. As He speaks, He says that He is being sent toaccomplish a task by Jehovah number two. Again, there is oneJehovah sending another Jehovah to perform a specific task.

Not only is the word Elohim, meaning “God,” applied to two differentPersons in one passage, but God's personal name is also applied to twodifferent Persons in one passage as well.

5. The Plural Noun AdonaiA fifth line of evidence for the plurality of the Godhead that comesfrom the Old Testament is the Hebrew word Adonai, which means“Lord.” Whenever that word is used of God, it is always found in theplural. The singular form is never used of God. The Hebrew word forLord, Adonai, is also always plural in reference to God and this, too,is evidence for plurality in the Godhead.

6. The Plural PronounsA sixth line of evidence concerning the plurality of the Godhead inthe Old Testament is the fact that plural pronouns are used of God.One example is Genesis 1:26a: And God said, Let us make man in our image,after our likeness.Notice the words us, our, and our. These are plural pronouns inreference to God. God could hardly be including angels in the termsus, our, our, because man was to be created, not in the image of angels,but in the image of God. The pronouns us, our, our, can only be areference to God, not to any angel; and they are plural pronouns.

A second example where the plural pronoun us is used in reference toGod is found in Genesis 3:22a: And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man isbecome as one of us.

A third example where the plural pronoun us is again used is Genesis11:7a: Come, let us go down, and there confound their language.

An example outside of the Book of Genesis is in the Prophets, Isaiah6:8a: And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who willgo for us?

Notice, it starts out with a singular pronoun, but then changes to aplural: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? The singular shows thatGod is one, and the plural shows plurality in the Godhead. Theseplural pronouns clearly show that God is seen in terms of plurality.

7. The Plural AdjectivesA seventh line of evidence, which shows the plurality of the Godheadfrom the Old Testament comes from the fact that God is alsodescribed in terms of plural adjectives. In English translations, these

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appear as nouns, but in the Hebrew text, these words are Hebrewadjectives. They are also in the plural form. For example, Joshua 24:19reads in English, holy God. But the adjective holy is a plural form, whichliterally reads, “holy Gods.” A second example is Psalm 149:2, whichin some English translations reads: in his Maker. The adjective that istranslated Maker is plural in Hebrew; so, it literally reads, “Let Israelrejoice in his Makers.” A third example is Ecclesiastes 12:1: yourCreator. Again, the word Creator is a plural adjective in Hebrew, andit literally reads, “your Creators.” Isaiah 54:5 has two examples. InEnglish, the verse reads, your Maker is your husband. But both the termsMaker and husband are plurals in the Hebrew text, and they readliterally, “your Makers, your husbands” in reference to God. This, too,emphasizes the concept of a plurality.

8. The Angel of JehovahThe eighth line of evidence which shows the plurality of the Godheadin the Old Testament is the teachings concerning the “Angel ofJehovah” or the “Angel of the LORD.” Throughout the OldTestament, this figure appears here and there. In some translations,He is called the angel of Jehovah; at other times, He is identified by theexpression the angel of the LORD. What is interesting is the fact that, inevery passage where He appears, in one part of the context He iscalled the angel of Jehovah, and in another part of the same context, Heis called Jehovah Himself. What is clear is that the Angel of Jehovahis not a common, ordinary angel, but is a unique Being, who is avisible manifestation of God Himself. The context always makes thisevident.

a. Examples of UniquenessThe first example is Genesis 16:7-14. He is called the angel of the Jehovahin verses 7, 9, 10 and 11; then He is called Jehovah Himself in verse 13.

A second example is Genesis 22:9-13. He is called the angel of Jehovahin verses 11 and 15; but He is called God in verse 12 and Jehovah inverse 16.

Third example is Genesis 31:11-13. In verse 11, He is called the angelof God; but in verse 13, He says: I am the God of Beth-el.

The fourth example is Genesis 32:24-30. In verse 24, He is called aman, because that is how He appeared. Verse 28 says: you have strivenwith God; and in verse 30: I have seen God face to face. The One whoappeared as a man was really the Angel of Jehovah; but when Jacobis said to have wrestled with the Angel, he is also said to have wrestledwith God.

The fifth example is Exodus 3:1-5. He is called the angel of Jehovah inverse 2; but He is called both Jehovah and God in verse 4.

The sixth example is Judges 2:1. The angel of Jehovah was responsible

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for the Exodus; but Exodus 19:4 states that it was God who wasresponsible.

The seventh example is Judges 6:11-24. He is called the angel of Jehovahin verses 11, 12, and 21; the angel of God in verse 20; but Jehovah inverses 14, 16, 22 and 23.

The eighth example is Judges 13:2-24. He is called the angel of Jehovahin verses 3, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, and 21; the angel of God in verse 9.Then in verse 18, His name is wonderful; one of those special Hebrewwords, pele, which is used only of God, as in Isaiah 9:6. Verse 22 ofJudges 13 states that what they saw was God's face.

The final example is in the Book of Zechariah, chapters 1-6, whereHe is frequently called the Angel of Jehovah Himself.

These manifestations of the Angel of Jehovah also point to theconcept of a plurality in the Godhead.

b. Scriptural Evidence of UniquenessThe fact that this Angel is not a common, ordinary angel is clear fromthree Old Testament passages. The first passage is Isaiah 42:8, whereGod said: I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another.

The glory that is encased within the personal nameJehovah–YHVH–is something that belongs to God alone, and it is notgiven to any other person and certainly no creature.

The second passage is Exodus 23:20-23, which states certain thingsabout this Angel of Jehovah. In verse 20, it is this Angel who will leadthe Exodus. In verse 21, it is this Angel who must be obeyed and neverprovoked. The reason is that He will not forgive their sin or rebellion,because my name is in him. This Angel has God's personal name, so Hisname is also Jehovah. In light of Isaiah 42:8: I am Jehovah, that is myname; and my glory will I not give to another, unless this Angel is also part ofthe Godhead, then He has no right to have this name. So, Jehovahnumber one says that this Angel has the name of Jehovah as well. Inverse 22, there are blessings for obedience and, in verse 23, He isagain declared to be the Angel of the Exodus. The fact that God'sname is in Him, and the fact that this Angel has the power to forgiveor not to forgive sin, is once again a clear teaching that He is not acommon angel, but God Himself.

The third passage on this point is Hosea 12:3-5, where Hoseareemphasizes that this Angel has God's personal name. For the Angelto have God's personal name, He must be God Himself.

9. The Son of GodThe ninth line of evidence for plurality of the Godhead in the Old

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Testament is the concept of the Son of God, which is found in twoOld Testament passages.

a. Psalm 2The first passage is Psalm 2, where that concept is found in two places.Psalm 2:7 states: I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me, You are my son;This day have I begotten you.In verse 7, there is a declaration of Sonship: God has a son. Someoneis decreed to be that son. Verses 8 and 9 state that this Son is destinedto rule the world.

Concerning this Son, in verses 10-12, the entire world is instructed toobey Him. Then verse 12 states: Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perishin the way, For his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all they that take refugein him.The world is instructed to obey the Son. To kiss the son means “to payhomage” to Him. Then He instructs all to take refuge in him; and thosewho will take refuge in the Son of God are the ones who will be savedby God. Psalm 2 clearly teaches that there is a Son of God.

b. Proverbs 30:4The second passage that teaches the same point is Proverbs 30:4,where the writer asks a series of six questions. The first four arerhetorical questions in that the answer is obvious. The first fourquestions are: Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hasgathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who hasestablished all the ends of the earth?The answer to these first four questions is obvious: it is God. All fourquestions ask who is responsible for creating and forming the universe.Obviously, the answer is God in each case; God is responsible for allfour of these things.

Then comes the fifth question, which is: What is his name.His name throughout the Old Testament is the four Hebrew letterswhich correspond to the English letters YHVH. His name is YHVH,often translated as “Jehovah” or “Lord.”

Then comes the sixth question: and what is his son's name, if you know?This is the tricky part of this verse. It does teach that God has a Son;but, at that point in history, His name had not yet been revealed. Thevarious names of the Messiah are revealed later in the Prophets,which is beyond the time when the Book of Proverbs was written.

10. The God-Man ConceptThe tenth line of evidence for plurality of the Godhead in the OldTestament is the fact that the Old Testament also teaches the conceptof a God-Man. This is seen in various examples.

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a. Genesis 4:1And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, Ihave gotten a man with the help of Jehovah.In the first example, Eve called her son Cain because: I have gotten a manwith the help of Jehovah. Actually, the phrase with the help of is not in theHebrew text. Literally, the last line of Genesis 4:1 reads, I have gotten aman: Jehovah. In other words, Eve thought that the son whom she hadjust borne was God Himself. It shows how Eve understood Genesis3:15, where God promised the Messiah for the first time: and I will putenmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed: he shallbruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.This is the first Messianic prophecy, which spelled out that theMessiah would be born of the seed of the woman. What that clearlytaught was that the Messiah was to be human. He was to come fromhumanity: from the seed of the woman. At the same time, Eve alsounderstood that, for this man to be the Redeemer, for this man to beable to save her from her sins, He would also have to be God as well.When she gave birth to her first son, she thought Cain was thefulfillment of Genesis 3:15; so she said, “I have gotten a man:Jehovah.” Her theology was absolutely correct; the Messiah was goingto be both God and man. She was not in error in her theology, hererror was in the application of it; she thought that Cain was thefulfillment of that promise in Genesis 3:15. It should be noted thatwith the first human birth there was already the understanding thatthe Messiah would be both God and man; thus, the God-Manconcept comes as early as Genesis 4:1.

b. Isaiah 9:6-7Another example is the famous passage in Isaiah 9:6-7. The first partof verse 6 speaks of a Jewish child born into the Jewish world: For untous a child is born, unto us a son is given.A child is to be born into the Jewish world, and it is His humanity thatis being stressed. But, in the second part of verse 6, He is given fournames, three of which can apply only to God. He is first calledWonderful Counsellor. The word “wonderful” in English is used of bothGod and man. We talk about God being wonderful, and we talk aboutour spouse being wonderful. But in the Hebrew Bible, there arecertain words which are used only of God. The Hebrew word forWonderful is pele, and is one of those words used exclusively of God.While in English, the name Wonderful Counsellor does not demanddeity, in Hebrew it definitely does. The second name of the child isMighty God. This is clearly a title of divinity and deity. The third nameis Everlasting Father or more literally, “the Father of Eternity” or “theOne who controls eternity.” This, too, emphasizes His deity, for onlyGod can control eternity. His fourth name is Prince of Peace. That is theonly one of the four names, which can be used both of God and man.Three of His four names are names, which are true of God only. Thefirst part of the verse emphasizes His humanity; the second partemphasizes His deity; and again, the concept is that of the God-Man.

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c. Jeremiah 23:5-6A third example of the God-Man concept is found in Jeremiah 23:5-6. Verse 5 speaks of a descendant of David, sitting upon the throne ofDavid; here, His humanity is stressed. But then, in verse 6, His nameis: Jehovah our righteousness. The human being of verse 5 who sits onDavid's throne has God's personal name in verse 6; and again, God'sname shows His deity. So, verse 5 emphasizes His humanity and verse6 emphasizes His deity; and once again, we see the God-Manconcept.

d. Zechariah 13:7Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saysJehovah of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I willturn my hand upon the little ones.In the fourth example, some translations have “my associate” insteadof my fellow. The Hebrew word translated either as fellow or associateis a word that literally means “my equal.” Thus, the verse literallyreads: “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man,emphasizing His humanity, that is my equal, saith Jehovah of hosts.”This man is God's equal, and God's equal must be God Himself. Onone hand, His humanity is stressed: Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,and against the man; and then His deity is stressed “that is my equal.”

These are four examples where the Old Testament clearly teaches aGod-Man concept.

11. The Holy SpiritThe eleventh line of evidence concerning the plurality of theGodhead in the Old Testament is the frequent appearance of theHoly Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sometimes seen as God, and sometimesHe is seen as one Person within the Godhead. His many appearancesin the Old Testament are also evidence of the plurality of theGodhead. One example is Genesis 1:2, where it is the Spirit of God whowas brooding or hovering like a mother hen over the darkness of thedeep, so, the Holy Spirit was involved in Creation; and Creation is awork of God. In Exodus 31:3, the Holy Spirit is called God. In Job26:13, the Holy Spirit is involved in Creation. In Psalm 51:11, He isgiven the name holy Spirit. Psalm 139:7 teaches that the Holy Spirit isomnipresent. And in Isaiah 11:2, the Spirit is called the Spirit ofJehovah.

B. The Plurality of the Godhead in the New TestamentIn the second category, the plurality of the Godhead is also taught inthe New Testament in that, more than one Person is called God. Forexample, the Father is called God (Jn. 6:27; Gal. 1:1, 3). Secondly, theSon is called God (Jn. 1:1; Rom. 9:5; Tit. 2:13; I Jn. 5:20). Thirdly, theHoly Spirit is also called God in Acts 5:3-9, where lying to the HolySpirit is the same as lying to God, and in II Corinthians 3:17.Summary: Throughout the Bible, the Scriptures clearly teach that

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there is plurality in the Godhead; the Godhead consists of more thanone Person.

II. THE UNITY OF THE GODHEADThe second area to be discussed is the unity of the Godhead, and toshow that, while on the one hand the Bible teaches plurality in theGodhead, it never teaches a plurality of Gods as in Polytheism; onlya plurality of Persons. There is one God, and this plurality is a unityof only one God.

A. The Unity of the Godhead in the Old Testament“What is the evidence for the unity of the Godhead?” In dealing withthe Old Testament, there are five specific evidences.

1. The Same Image and LikenessThe first evidence is found in Genesis 1:26, which states: Let us makeman in our image, after our likeness.This passage was cited earlier in this manuscript to show that there isa plurality in the Godhead. This same verse also shows a unity in theGodhead, because the speaker and the one spoken to have the sameimage and likeness: in our image, after our likeness. The plural pronounsour emphasize plurality. The fact that both the speaker and the onespoken to are of the same image and likeness, emphasizes their unity.

2. The Use of Singular Verbs with Plural NounsThe second line of evidence for the unity of the Godhead in the OldTestament is the fact that, although the word “God” in Hebrew isElohim and is plural, it is almost always used with a singular verb, whichis contrary to normal Hebrew grammar. The rules of Hebrewgrammar require that the verb must agree with the noun in both genderand number. When the noun Elohim is used of the true God, being aplural noun it sometimes has a plural verb according to Hebrewgrammar. Several examples of this were cited earlier as evidence of theplurality of the Godhead. But the fact that the vast majority of cases usethe singular verb with Elohim emphasizes unity. An example is Genesis1:1: In the beginning God, Elohim, a plural noun, created, a singularHebrew verb. It does not agree with the noun in number, thus violatingnormal Hebrew grammar. This violation of the normal Hebrewgrammar in the majority of cases where the word Elohim is used of thetrue God also shows unity in the Godhead.

3. The Use of Singular and Plural Forms TogetherA third line of evidence for the unity of the Godhead in the OldTestament is the use of El Elohim. El is the singular form, and Elohimis the plural form; but both are used together in one verse of the sameGod. One example is Genesis 33:20: And he erected there an altar, and calledit El-Elohe-Israel.El is the singular, but Elohe is the construct state of Elohim, which is aplural form. So, literally it reads, “God, the Gods of Israel.” The fact

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that the singular is followed by the plural and that both words refer tothe one true God emphasizes unity.

A second example where both the singular and the plural are usedtogether is Joshua 22:22: The Mighty One, God, Jehovah, the Mighty One,God, Jehovah, he knows; and Israel he shall know: if it be in rebellion, or if intrespass against Jehovah (save you us not this day).The Hebrew word translated as The Mighty One is the word El, whichis the singular word for God. The word translated God is Elohim andit is a plural noun, which means “God” or “gods.” The wordtranslated Jehovah is God's personal name: El, Elohim, Jehovah.Jehovah is God's personal name; Elohim emphasizes His plurality; butthe singular El emphasizes His unity. So, unity can be seen in the useof El Elohim, the singular and plural used together of one and thesame God.

4. The Use of the Compound OneThe fourth line of evidence for unity of the Godhead in the OldTestament is in Deuteronomy 6:4; a very famous verse for Jewishpeople. Deuteronomy 6:4 is called the sh'ma, and it is considered theessence of all forms of Judaism. That verse reads: Hear, O Israel: Jehovahour God is one Jehovah.This verse, more than any other, emphasizes the concept of a unity. Inthe field of Jewish evangelism, Deuteronomy 6:4 is often used byJewish people to teach against the plurality of the Godhead. But, ifthis verse is studied very carefully, it is evident that it is not teaching anabsolute unity, but a compound unity. Rather than arguing against aplurality of the Godhead, Deuteronomy 6:4 actually supports theconcept of plurality in the Godhead. To begin with, it should bepointed out that where it reads Jehovah our God the Hebrew word forGod is plural, and literally reads, “our Gods.” But, the key word tofocus attention on is the word one.

a. EchadThe Hebrew word for one is echad. By comparing the usage of echadelsewhere in the Old Testament, it is clear that this word refers to acompound one, not an absolute one. For example, Genesis 1:5 states:And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there wasevening and there was morning, one day.The combination of evening and morning comprised the unity ofechad, or one day.

Another key passage is Genesis 2:24: Therefore shall a man leave his fatherand his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.A man and a woman who come together in marriage are said tobecome one, echad, flesh. There are two personalities, a man and awoman, coming together in marriage, and the two become one.Obviously, they do not become an absolute one, for they retain theirseparate personalities; however, there is definitely a unity there.

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Another example is Ezra 3:1, where the whole assembly of Israel wasas one, echad. Although it was comprised of numerous individuals, theywere all looked upon as one; obviously a united one.

Another example is Ezekiel 37:17, where Ezekiel is told to put twosticks together, and they are combined to become one, echad, stick.These examples of the usage of the word echad in the Hebrew text,which is the very same word used in Deuteronomy 6:4, show that itspeaks of a compound unity, not an absolute unity.

b. YachidThere is another Hebrew word, which does mean an absolute one:yachid. It is used in Genesis 22:2, where it emphasizes Isaac asAbraham's only, unique son. So, if Moses had wanted to emphasizeabsolute oneness of God, he would have used the term yachid. But hedid not use that term for the oneness of God. Deuteronomy 6:4 is,therefore, an argument in favor of the plurality of the Godhead and,at the same time, it teaches the unity of this plurality of the one God.

5. Jehovah Declared to Be OneThe fifth line of evidence of the unity of the Godhead from the OldTestament is, that Jehovah is declared to be one, echad, in Zechariah14:9.

B. The Unity of the Godhead in the New TestamentIn the New Testament, the unity of the Godhead is taught inEphesians 4:4-6; I Timothy 2:5; and James 2:19.

III. THE TRINITY OF THE GODHEAD

The third area of this Messianic Bible Study will deal with the actualTrinity of the Godhead. Thus far, it has been shown that the Bibleteaches that there is plurality in the Godhead, and that this pluralityis a unity of only one God. Now, it is necessary to show that thisplurality is limited to a Trinity in that there are no less and no morethan three Persons.

A. The Trinity of the Godhead in the Old TestamentFrom the Old Testament, the evidence that God is, indeed, a Trinityis found in the fact that only three Persons are ever called God, andno more than three Persons are ever seen together.

1. Isaiah 42:1Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I haveput my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.Notice the three Persons in this first example. The first Person is thespeaker, who is seen by the pronoun I. The second Person is thespeaker's servant, the servant of Jehovah. And the third Person is theSpirit of God. Here is a passage where there are three and only three

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Persons, no more or no less than three.

2. Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah has anointed me topreach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, toproclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that arebound.The second example mentions only three individuals: the Lord Jehovah;the Spirit of Jehovah; and the pronoun me, in reference to the speaker:The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me. Again, there are three Persons,and no more.

3. Isaiah 63:7-14A third example of the Trinity of the Godhead in the Old Testamentis found in the context of Isaiah 63:7-14, which deals with a summaryof the Exodus. Within the context of this passage, three and no morethan three Persons are mentioned. For example, in verse 7 there is onePerson: I will make mention of the lovingkindnesses of Jehovah, and the praisesof Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah has bestowed on us, and the greatgoodness toward the house of Israel, which he has bestowed on them according tohis mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.In verse 7, the reference is to the Person called Jehovah. In this case,Jehovah is God the Father.

A second personality mentioned is in verse 9: In all their affliction he wasafflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity heredeemed them; and he bore them, and carried them all the days of old.A second personality mentioned in this context is the angel of his presence.He is the same as the Angel of Jehovah, who has the name of JehovahHimself. Notice in verse 9, that it was this angel who was responsiblefor saving them and for redeeming them.

A third personality is the Holy Spirit mentioned three different times.First, verse 10 reads: But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit.Secondly, verse 11: where is he that put his holy Spirit in the midst of them?And for the third time in verse 14: As the cattle that go down into the valley,the Spirit of Jehovah caused them to rest.In this passage, the three personalities are clearly in view. There arenot less than three, and there are not more than three.

4. Isaiah 48:12-16The fourth example as evidence of the Trinity of the Godhead in theOld Testament is in the context of Isaiah 48:12-16. Verses 12-14a:Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he; I am the first, I alsoam the last. Yea, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right handhas spread out the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. Assembleyourselves, all ye, and hear; who among them has declared these things? He whomJehovah loves shall perform his pleasure.In these verses, it is clear that the speaker is God Himself because the

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speaker refers to Himself as the One who is responsible for theCreation of the heavens and the earth. Since God is responsible forcreating the heavens and the earth, the speaker, then, must be GodHimself.

Then verse 16 states: Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; from the beginning Ihave not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the LordJehovah has sent me, and his Spirit.Notice carefully the three Persons: the speaker, the Spirit, and the LordJehovah. In verse 16, the speaker is the Creator of the heavens and theearth, and He refers to Himself by the pronouns I and me. Thisspeaker distinguishes Himself from two other Persons. One Personfrom whom He distinguishes Himself is the Lord Jehovah. The secondPerson from whom He distinguishes Himself is the Spirit of God.Here is the clearest Old Testament passage on the Triunity. Here, inIsaiah 48:12-16, the Triunity is as clearly presented as the OldTestament Scriptures have chosen to make it.

In the Old Testament, only three Persons are ever called God, and nomore than three Persons are ever seen together.

B. The Trinity of the Godhead in the New TestamentIn the New Testament, there are three major lines of evidence for theTrinity of the Godhead.

1. Only Three Persons Are Ever Called GodOnly three Persons are ever called God, and no more than threePersons are ever seen together.

a. Matthew 3:16-17And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, theheavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove,and coming upon him; and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my belovedSon, in whom I am well pleased.Notice, no more than three Persons are to be found in the context ofthe baptism of Yeshua (Jesus). The Son is seen in the Person ofYeshua; the Spirit is seen because He comes down in the bodily formof a dove; and the Father is made present by the audible voice thatcomes down out of the heavens, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I amwell pleased.

b. Matthew 28:19Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the nameof the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.In the second example of the Trinity of the Godhead in the NewTestament, only three Persons are mentioned specifically, no less thanthree, but no more either. These three Persons are now given titles ofFather, Son, and Holy Spirit. Notice the seeming contradiction insofar as

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the grammar is concerned. The command is to go and baptize in thename of, and the word name is singular. It does not say, “in the names ofthe Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” which would have been moregrammatically correct. But rather, it is in the name of. The word name issingular, emphasizing the unity of the Godhead. But then, this onename belongs to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, emphasizing theTrinity of the Godhead.

c. John 14:16-17And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he maybe with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for itbeholds him not, neither knows him: ye know him; for he abides with you, and shallbe in you.In the third example of the Trinity of the Godhead in the NewTestament, notice again the three Persons mentioned in this context.One Person is the speaker, Yeshua, who is identified by the pronoun I.The second Person is the Father, to whom He will pray. The thirdPerson is the Holy Spirit, who is going to be sent.

d. I Corinthians 12:4-6Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are diversities ofministrations, and the same Lord. And there are diversities of workings, but thesame God, who works all things in all.In the fourth example of the Trinity of the Godhead in the NewTestament, once again three Persons are mentioned, but no more.Verse 4 mentions the Spirit, who is the Holy Spirit. Verse 5 mentionsthe Lord, who is the Son. And verse 6 mentions God, who, in this case,is God the Father.

e. II Corinthians 13:14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion ofthe Holy Spirit, be with you all.Notice the three Persons in the fifth example of the Trinity of theGodhead in the New Testament: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, theSon, the love of God, the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit theHoly Spirit. Again, three Persons are mentioned, no more and no less.

f. I Peter 1:2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit,unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peacebe multiplied.In the last example of the Trinity of the Godhead in the NewTestament, verse 2 mentions three Persons: God the Father, who isresponsible for the foreknowledge; the Spirit, who is responsible forsanctification; and the Son, Jesus Christ, who is responsible for thesprinkling, shedding, of His blood for the sins of the world.

From these passages, it is clear that only three Persons are ever called“God,” and no more than three Persons are ever seen together.

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Summary: In keeping with the teaching of the Old Testament, the NewTestament clearly recognizes that there are three Persons in the Godhead.But, while the Old Testament clearly taught a Triunity, it did not actuallyname the members of this Triunity; this comes only with New Testamentrevelation. The First Person is called God the Father. The Second Personis called God the Son. It is the New Testament that answers the questionof Proverbs 30:4: What is his son's name? His Son's name is Yeshua. Inaccordance with the Old Testament, He was sent by God to be theMessiah, but this time as a man, instead of an Angel. Furthermore, Hewas sent for a specific purpose: to die for our sins. In essence, whathappened was that God became a man in order to accomplish the workof Atonement. The Third Person is called God the Holy Spirit.Throughout the New Testament, He is related to the work of the SecondPerson in keeping with the teaching of the Old Testament.

2. Only Three Persons Have the Attributes of GodThe second major line of evidence concerning the Trinity of theGodhead in the New Testament is that only three Persons have theattributes of God. There are four particular, divine attributes, whichonly three Persons possess.

a. EternalityThe first attribute is that of eternality. Only three Persons are said tohave this attribute in that only three Persons have always existed andwill always continue to exist.

The Father has this attribute of eternality in Psalm 90:2, which speaksof the Father being from everlasting to everlasting.

The Son also has the attribute of eternality in Micah 5:2 (quoted inMat. 2:5-6). Although in His humanity, He would be born inBethlehem, Micah 5:2 also states that, as to His deity, He has been ofold, from everlasting. The Hebrew words that Micah uses are thestrongest possible terms concerning the concept of eternity past.

The Son's eternality is also taught in John 1:1: In the beginning was theWord, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.According to this verse, the Son existed in the beginning with God theFather. In other words, as long as God has existed, so also the Son hasexisted. Since God the Father has existed from all eternity, therefore,the Son must have existed for all eternity as well. John 1:1 is clearevidence that some of the cultic teachings, which claim that the Sonwas created by God the Father, are wrong. The point of John 1:1 isthat as long as the Father has existed, which has been for all eternitythat is how long the Son has existed. The eternality of the Son is alsofound in John 1:15 and 8:58.

The Holy Spirit also has the attribute of eternality according toHebrews 9:14.

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b. OmnipotenceThe second attribute is that of omnipotence, which means “all-powerful.” Only three Persons have the attribute of omnipotence.God the Father is omnipotent in I Peter 1:5. The Son is omnipotentin Hebrews 1:3. The Holy Spirit is omnipotent in Romans 15:19.

c. OmniscienceThe third attribute is that of omniscience, which means “all-knowing.” The Father is omniscient in Jeremiah 17:10. The Son isomniscient in John 16:30; 21:17; and Revelation 2:23. The Holy Spiritis omniscient in I Corinthians 2:10-11.

d. OmnipresenceThe fourth attribute, which only three Persons have, is omnipresence,meaning that “God is everywhere.” The Father is omnipresentaccording to Jeremiah 23:24. The Son is omnipresent according toMatthew 18:20 and 28:20. The Holy Spirit is omnipresent accordingto Psalm 139:7-10.

Summary: Thus, the second line of evidence that the plurality of theGodhead is limited to a Trinity is the fact that only three Persons havethe attributes of God; in particular, the uniquely divine attributes ofeternality, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence.

3. Only Three Persons Know the Works of GodThere is a third line of evidence for the Trinity of the Godhead in theNew Testament: only three Persons act like God or do the works ofGod. There are three specific examples in this area.

a. The Work of the Creation of the UniverseThe first example is the Creation of the universe. The thrust of theentire Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is that God is the Creatorof the universe. The Creation of the universe is a specific work ofGod, and yet in the Scriptures, there are three different Persons whoare responsible for the Creation. The Father is responsible for theCreation of the universe in Psalm 102:25. The Son is responsible forthe Creation of the universe in John 1:3; and Colossians 1:16. TheHoly Spirit is responsible for the Creation of the universe in Genesis1:2; Job 26:13; and Psalm 104:30. In dealing with the Creation of theuniverse, which is a work of God, these three Persons are said to beresponsible.

b. The Work of the Creation of ManA second specific work of God is the creation of man. Again, thethrust of Scripture in both testaments is that God created man in Hisown image. Once again, the Scriptures teach that three differentPersons are credited with the creation of man. The Father isresponsible for the creation of man according to Genesis 2:7. The Sonis responsible for the creation of man according to Colossians 1:16.

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The Holy Spirit is responsible for the creation of man in Job 33:4. Asit was true with the Creation of the universe, so it is also true with thecreation of man: three Persons are credited with this work, which is awork of God.

c. The Work of InspirationThe third example is the work of inspiration. The thrust of Scriptureis that God does the work of inspiration; God is the revealer ofHimself. But again, three different Persons are said to be responsiblefor the work of inspiration. God the Father does the work ofinspiration according to II Timothy 3:16. God the Son is responsiblefor the work of inspiration in I Peter 1:10-11. The Holy Spirit isresponsible for the work of inspiration in II Peter 1:21. This, too, is awork of God, and yet, three Persons are responsible.

CONCLUSIONConcerning the Godhead, the Bible teaches three great truths.First, the plurality of the Godhead: there exists a plurality ofpersonalities within the Godhead.

Secondly, the unity of the Godhead: the plurality is not a plurality ofgods as in Polytheism, for there is only one God.

Thirdly, the Trinity of the Godhead: the plurality of the personalitiesof the one God is limited to three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, nomore and no less.A

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IF YOU ENJOYED THISBIBLE STUDY,DR. FRUCHTENBAUMRECOMMENDS:MBS022, 047, 051 and 186.

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